The Blessed and The Damned
by Miaka
Summary: The more unhappiness Tohru discovers the Juuniichi curse brings to the Sohma family, the more she wants to find a way to break it. But will the clan head stand in her way? Continuation of the anime, really. ^^;
1. Default Chapter

"The Blessed And The Damned"  
  
Timeline: Takes place after last episode of anime.  
  
chapteR onE: "The Decision"  
Sohma Akito watched the yard through frigid eyes. He was at the window again, waiting. For what? For the sound of beating wings, returning to him. The sun was at noon's position, directly over the Sohma Household. And while many different songs from the other birds were audible to him from outside, there was one that would not, could not reach his ears. When he finally pulled away from the view, the door behind him slid open.  
  
"Akito ... "  
  
"Hatori." The Clan Head addressed the doctor without looking at him.  
  
"Your decision.. are you sure you've thoroughly thought about it?"  
  
The boy slowly turned his head, as if underwater. He smiled grimly, without replying. Hatori frowned, knowing better than to repeat his question. Once the daylight recaptured Akito's attention, Hatori left him. Just as the edge of the door met its frame behind Hatori, Akito reached his hand out to greet his bird. When landing, it glanced at its surroundings, as if deciding whether he truly wanted to return at this time. Without haste, Akito withdrew both his hand and the bird into the dark room. His eyes continued to scan the light just on the other side of the open window, however. And although he began a process of thought ... he did not doubt the choice he had made.  
  
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"Tohru-chan!" Uotani Arisa waved in front of Tohru's face, hoping to catch the attention of her friend.  
  
"Eh--oh! Nani?" Tohru seemed to have been caught up in a dream-state. Her friend, Uo-chan, blinked at her curiously.  
  
"Oi, oi, what's up? You have your dizzy moments, but I was just telling you my weekend plans because you asked, and you totally blanked out!"  
  
"Gomen, gomen! I just have a lot on my mind.." Tohru smiled sheepishly. Her other friend, Hanajima Saki, was sitting just to the other side of her. Tohru and Uo were used to Hana's psychic moments. Right now, she was giving the blackboard a hard, yet blank, stare. No one would be able to read her expression, for it was simply indescribable.  
  
"So, as I was saying--and hey, you're listening, right? Why don't we all get together on-"  
  
"Something's coming," Hana-chan suddenly interrupted. Her voice was soft, but intense. She seemed to snap out of her trance just then and turned to meet Uo's frustrated face.  
  
"Hey! Can I make some plans for us without having to repeat myself?" Uo- chan sweat dropped. Though Tohru began apologizing, Hana apparently did not hear Uo's complaint.  
  
"Ano, ne, Hana-chan.. is something wrong?" Tohru inquired, sensing her friend's eyes darting to the door.  
  
"I told you ... something bad is coming," Hana replied flatly.  
  
"Probably Sensei. I should get back to my seat," Uo sighed. She did so, leaving a very baffled Tohru with the other girl.  
  
In time, the bell rang and classes began. Tohru couldn't help but think about what Hana-chan had told her. 'What's coming, Hana-chan?' When first period ended, Tohru passed by her next class. She wasn't intentionally skipping, she just found it difficult to concentrate on what she was doing at the moment. Hana-chan's prediction sounded something like a warning. 'I should have asked her what she meant.' Drowning in her own anxious sentiments, Tohru completely lost awareness of where her feet were leading her. It wasn't long before she bumped in to someone.  
  
"Y-Yuki-kun!" Tohru blushed, embarrassed by her carelessness. She bowed an unnecessary amount of times, apologizing each time she rose up and faced Yuki. Yuki only chuckled lightly, asking if Tohru was feeling alright.  
  
"You look pretty troubled," Yuki noted the crease of worry in Tohru's forehead. At this, she beamed cheerfully, hoping that he'd forget her past expression.  
  
"A-aahha-hahahaha, I was just wor-worried that I wouldn't m-make it to my next class in time.." she stammered.  
  
"Oh! Better not let me hold you up then," Yuki pointed out. Tohru gave a small wave, but before they parted too far in their opposite directions, Yuki stopped and added, "And Honda-san.. Sometime soon, I need to talk to you about something."  
  
"H-h-hai!" Tohru gulped, becoming uneasy because of Yuki's low tone.  
  
Did something happen?  
  
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It was the break of the day, where students would gather where they pleased on campus and eat lunch. He wandered passed the different groups, disgusted by all of them. They were all laughing, exchanging stories or jokes ... complaining about exams. Is this what he'd been missing out on all his life? So far, he didn't feel it was much. He had yet to come across that girl. Part of him was relieved for not having to put up with her insolence, the other was curious about her whereabouts. Regardless of their last meeting, very few of his opinions and feelings about her had changed.  
  
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"President! Is that Prince over there?" Minami pointed to a boy across the pathway, resting beneath the only tree in that particular school area. She lowered her binoculars and handed them to Motoko.  
  
"Eh..? No. Just a look-alike. Hmm.. I wonder though.. there's a big resemblance. The hair's darker though---unless that's the shade," Motoko answered. She was able to see the difference in hair color -before- using the binoculars. Once she did use the vision-enhancing tool, she was also able to see that the person's expression was one she'd never seen the Prince wear. She'd seen the Prince look as though he were lost, yearning for something, or just lonely ... but she'd never seen him bitter.  
  
"No. That's definitely not him ..." she confirmed.  
  
"Wonder who it is, then," Miho thought aloud.  
  
"Mmn!" Mai was curious as well.  
  
"Well, girls? Let's find out!" Motoko suggested, beginning to march in the direction of the beautiful stranger. Before the Prince Yuki Fanclub got even close to him, however, he shifted his eyes in their direction and gave them the nastiest stare. They immediately retreated.  
  
"Woah! Did you see that?! That was a pure ice-cold glare!" Miho shivered, remembering the boy's face.  
  
"It's too bad he's not friendly, like the Prince.." Motoko muttered, eager to discover this guy's identity. But his gaze was enough to keep her from ever suggesting to confront him again.  
  
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"Ano.. Honda-san," Yuki called delicately, smiling to hide his guilt for intruding Tohru's lunch with her friends.  
  
"Oh! Yuki-kun! Would you like to sit and eat with us?" Tohru pushed over slightly, hoping it would leave enough room.  
  
"Ah, actually.. I was hoping I could talk with you.. privately," Yuki's eyes lingered over Tohru's friends for a moment, but then went back to her.  
  
"Iie!! Gomen, gomen! I totally forgot!" Tohru suddenly bolted up, knocking the table she, Hana, and Uo had been sharing. The hot tea Hana had been sipping toppled and spilled all over Hana's lap. Honda, however, was too flustered to notice this. She leapt over in Yuki's direction and headed off with him to listen to what he had to say. Uo and Hana, meanwhile, were left with each other. Uo blinked at the tea cup, rolling back and forth on its side. Then she looked up at Hana, whose face lacked any kind of reaction.  
  
"Oi, isn't that hot?" Uo finally spoke. Hana lowered her face to her lap and watched the steam rise up from her clothes. Finally, she lifted her eyes back to the girl across from her.  
  
"...Kuso."  
  
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"So, what is it you needed to tell me?" Tohru asked cautiously, remembering Yuki's serious tone from prior. She had snuck a rice cake from her lunch table and was now nibbling bits from it.  
  
"Eh.. I don't know the reason, Honda-san.. But.."  
  
"But?" Tohru's eyebrows raised at Yuki's hesitation. Just as he was about to go further into detail..  
  
"Yuki."  
  
Both Tohru and Yuki turned and caught sight of Akito casually making his way toward them.  
  
"Akito-san.. he's.. wearing our uniform..?" Tohru eyed the familiar attire the Sohma Clan Leader was wearing. Yuki nodded.  
  
"He's transferred to our school." 


	2. Motives and Madness

The Blessed And The Damned  
  
chapteR twO: "Motives and Madness"  
  
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The school day had passed. Yuki was waiting just outside for Tohru. She'd gone back inside to look for Kyou.  
  
Tohru called the cat's name one final time before he stepped out of a classroom across from her and snapped, "I'm right here! Stop yelling."  
  
She smiled when he joined her at the window. "Yuki and I were waiting for you and when you weren't coming out, I went to find you."  
  
"Well, looks like *I* found you. Nezumi was waiting for me? Tch."  
  
Tohru held onto the inner ledge of the window, wanting to take a brief view before going on her way. She looked down on the school property, expecting to see Yuki. Just when she wondered if he would meet her eyes, she saw that he was speaking with someone.  
  
"Oi.. Is that Akito?" Kyou asked rather darkly, surprising Tohru.  
  
"Hai. He's transferred."  
  
"Nani? What the hell for?!"  
  
Before Tohru even stammered, "I-I don't know!" Kyou was off on his feet. Tohru went after him, spotting him at the stairs.  
  
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"I'm eating dinner at Shigure's."  
  
Yuki lowered his eyes, hoping Akito couldn't sense his fear. The door behind him opened, but he ignored the footsteps that followed.  
  
'Why're you here, Akito?' Yuki wondered, not looking up.  
  
"Honda Tohru." Akito's voice broke through the silence.  
  
"Akito-san," she bowed, not sure of what else to do. She remembered their last meeting, at lunch. Akito had all but even glanced her way, all the while speaking to Yuki. And the meeting before that, when he'd attacked her. Her heart thudded against her chest, begging her to forget about it.  
  
When she rose, his back was to her. She looked at him curiously. Kyou watched Tohru from her left, pondering her safety around the clan head.  
  
"You walk home?" Akito asked, almost in a whisper.  
  
"Hai." The movement at his feet caught her eyes. She felt Yuki push at her elbow, and he himself started following Akito. Kyou would have objected, were he less concerned about Akito's reaction. Whenever a male Sohma figure questioned Akito's motives, he seemed to point a blaming finger to the female closest to the topic.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Tohru finished collecting the clear plates from the most silent dinner she and the Sohmas had ever eaten. In fact, she'd been the only one who attempted to make conversation.  
  
"So.. Akito-san.. What do you think of our school?"  
  
"................................."  
  
The guy made her nervous. Thinking that somehow, maybe he was just offended, she had cut off the rest of her questioning. She was relieved he went home directly after supper.  
  
"That silence was so awkward," she said to herself, closing her eyes.  
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU INVITE HIM FOR DINNER?!" Kyou's voice emitted throughout the entire household. Shigure sweatdropped.  
  
"I thought it would be a wise thing to do.." Shigure shrugged  
  
"And why the hell is he at school, anyway?!" Yuki joined in on the conversation, although no less appalled than Kyou.  
  
"There were two reasons Hatori mentioned," Shigure's smile was washed away by his melancholy tone.  
  
Yuki and Kyou leaned closer over the table, ready for Shigure to let them in on whatever the head's motives may be.  
  
"Well?!" Kyou demanded.  
  
"I'm-not-going-to-tell-you!" Shigure sang chibifiably and leapt up to flee from the two violent teenagers chasing after him.  
  
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Tohru heard the three of them, thundering passed the room she was in, and sweatdropped. After hearing Kyou's earlier eruption, she'd already guessed what their conversation and current on-goings had been about. She herself was curious about Akito's decision. 


End file.
